For 10 years HCPC Europe has awarded outstanding patient-friendly pack designs with the Columbus Award. In 2018 we decided to combine forces with Pharmapack Europe. The jury of HCPC Europe now works together with the jury of the Pharmapack Awards to select outstanding patient-friendly, or patient-centric, pack designs. This results in a special award that is part of the Health Product Category of the Pharmapack Awards: the Patient-Centric Design Award.

Packaging innovation is important, because innovative packaging solutions help patients to take their medication as prescribed. Carefully designed packaging can make a significant contribution to patient’s lives, including assistance with compliance (taking as prescribed), adherence (continuing to comply within your lifestyle) and persistence (taking the entire course of treatment).

Through elements such as printing, colour-coding and the format of the package itself, package designers can incorporate features to assist with ease of identification; clarity of instructions; clear differentiation of medicines and visible evidence of medication taken.

In addition, there are many aspects of pack design that can also serve to make patient’s lives easier, and reduce the burden of the medication regimen. These include easy access to the contents, ergonomic pack design, simple re-closing, discrete and easily portable pack shapes and sizes.